A Tale of Two Worlds
by Ajax Rising
Summary: Five years after the events of Crown of Ptolemy, Percy, Annabeth, and the Kanes have managed to keep the existence of Camp Halfblood and Per Ankh quiet from the other. The barriers unfortunately begin to crumble when Ajax Faust, a demigod who was raised as a magician, is thrown into the middle of it. Unfortunately, the secret isn't the only thing he has to worry about...
1. Chapter 1: I Scope Out the New Girls

Maybe you've never heard the story of Percy Jackson. Maybe you don't know who Carter and Sadie Kane are. Maybe you'd be confused if I were to talk about the seven heroes of Olympus. If so, I commend you for being able to live under a rock for the past decade. Unfortunately for me, I had to live with those stories as history.

Perhaps I should start at the beginning. My name is Ajax Faust, but please, call me AJ. I'm fifteen years old, pretty tall for my age, with black shoulder-length hair that I usually keep in a bun and emerald green eyes. Oh yeah, and I'm a renegade magician being hunted by the House of Life for practicing illegal magic.

Of course, that's not all I am, but that's what this story is about.

It started on an average school morning in late May. It was surprisingly warm, like summer had already begun, but I didn't mind the heat. What I did mind was having to be stuck in a place worse than the Underworld… public school. Seriously, have you ever met a high school linebacker? They smell worse than a jackal.

My dad had left almost a year ago on some super-important mission or something. He wouldn't tell me where he was going or what he was doing, which was a first, but in the mean time it meant I had to stay at my great aunt's house, and not draw any attention whatsoever. Ugh.

All the classes had already had their final exams, so I was surprised when the teacher in my first period class, Mrs. Quentino, announced that we had visitors from another school. I wasn't really listening, but apparently it was something about "strengthening the bonds between us and our sister school." Whatever the hell that meant. The girls Mrs. Q was introducing, however, were definitely worth paying attention to. One was tall and slender, with lithe but obviously capable muscles. Her blonde hair cascaded down to the small of her back, her bangs swooping over one of her gorgeous amber eyes. The other wore her dark brown hair in a short bob that came down to her jawline, framing her eyes that were a startling silver color. She was much shorter than the blonde, but just as athletic, and her skin was almost an olive color. Both girls wore orange tee-shirts with Camp something-or-other written on them. The blonde wore hers with yellow converse and jean short shorts, which I was surprised the teacher didn't seem to care about. The brunette had a silver windbreaker and black skinny jeans and combat boots.

"Class," Mrs. Q said, "This is Saria Fotia and Wynne Tanawan. Please make them welcome here. Girls, go ahead and take any open seat." The blonde, Saria, scanned the room. She tried to hide it, but I could tell that she had focused on me for a split second. I tried to tell myself I was imagining it, but she walked directly to the back of the room where I was sitting, and took the seat next to mine. She didn't look directly at me, but I could tell she kept me in her peripheral vision. Wynne sat a couple seats ahead of me. I tensed a little, wondering if the House of Life had finally found me.

Perhaps I should explain a little more on that point. You see, all those things teachers taught you about Eqyptian myths? Yeah, turns out, "myth" isn't exactly the right word. More like history. Actual, real-life history. All the gods, all the monsters, all the magic… all real. I should know, my dad has been training me since I was six years old how to cast spells. The thing is, a couple millennia ago, the House of Life-the authority on magic from Ancient Egypt until now-outlawed a specific branch of magic, called the Path of the Gods. They viewed the gods as selfish and dangerous, so communing with them to gain their power was definitely out of the question. My family, descended from Ramses the Great, has kept with the traditions of the Path of the Gods, becoming outlaws from the House of Life. I'd heard some rumors that the House was under new management and was encouraging the Path of the Gods, but my father suspected it was a trick to lure renegades like us into the open. So yeah, there's the short version.

So there I was, figuring a couple of young magicians had found me out. I could tell this much, they definitely weren't regular humans. They had some pretty strong auras about them and, against my better nature, I lowered my vision into the Duat.

The Duat is the sum of the magical world which is connected to our own. Imagine a sea of ever deeper layers. It's where the gods came from, the path to the Underworld was, it olds the route Ra traveled on his nightly journey… Yeah, fun stuff. Anyway, magicians can learn how to see into the Duat. It can be a rather dizzying experience. Picture wearing 3D glasses, seeing multi-colored auras around everything, but it was all constantly shifting and changing, and the auras didn't always match the shape of the object they surrounded. As I glanced at the strange visitors, I had to stifle a gasp. Saria was glowing so brightly, I couldn't look directly at her. It was almost as though she were made of sunlight, and it seemed like her aura was a little too big for her almost. Wynne's aura was strange, it was pale gold, but streaks of bright silver seemed to flow along her major veins and arteries. I had no clue what that was about, but one thing was clear, these girls weren't here to learn algebra.

I shifted in my chair, gripping a curved piece of ivory concealed in my jacket. If a fight broke out-unlikely, with all these innocents around, but still-I'd need to have my wand out in an instant.

 _You should just kill them_ , said the voice in my head. Oh yeah, I suppose I should introduce you. Readers, meet Set, Lord of Chaos, Lieutenant of Ra, Pain in my Butt. You see, I didn't just follow the Path of the Gods, I was a godling. A mortal host for a god. Egyptian gods can't maintain a presence in the mortal world without a host, and so I made a pact with Mr. Evil himself. Although he's not so bad most days. Of course, he usually left me with just a fragment of his power, preferring to hang out in the court of the gods. But every so often he turned up with sage advice such as "Kill them," or "Maim them," or the ever-popular "Wipe them and their family off the face of this measly world." See? Great advice.

 _I'm not gonna kill them, dude. I don't know if they're a threat,_ I responded with exasperation.

 _Look at them, they're obviously here for you. Take them out before they take you out, that's what I say. Two quick lightning bolts._ Bam! Bam! _Done._

 _Not until I find out more._

 _You're so boring sometimes. Alright, deal with this on your own then._

Thankfully, nothing happened during math class, as I'd expected. Next set was gym. Don't ask me why the made us run around so early in morning, but I hated it. For the last few weeks, the gym class had been having a kickball tournament, and I'd always found a reason to bow out. This time, I wasn't in the mood for faking an injury, so I just slipped away once I got outside the doors to the football field, rounding the corner of the brick edifice and leaning up against the wall, trying to relax my muscles.

"Aha!" a female voice said, breaking me out of my reverie, "We found you!"


	2. Chapter 2: I Beat Up Some Jocks

I straightened up with a start, plunging my hand into my jacket to withdraw his wand, pointing it at the girl who'd spoken. It was Saria, who put her hands up in surrender.

"Woah! We're not… Wait, is that supposed to be a weapon?" She was looking at my wand with a puzzled expression, which confused me. I knew she couldn't be a mortal, and yet she didn't recognize my wand. Her hands lowered some as she looked at me, her mouth starting to curve into a smile.

Wynne sighed, pushing past her companion and saying, "We don't have time for this. Listen-AJ, is it?-we need to go. We can be pretty sure that there are monsters following you." She reached down to a ring of keys attached to a belt loop, unhooking one which immediately transformed into a large bow. The weapon was impressive, some sort of pale wood inlaid with silver filigree. She was definitely some sort of magician, which could only mean one thing-she was an enemy.

"Alright, I'm guessing you're Per Ankh… I don't know how you found me, but at least I don't have to keep my head down anymore." I barely registered their confusion. Perhaps they didn't expect me to figure them out. In any event, hieroglyphs blazed in the air in front of my wand, and suddenly the three of us were encased in a small sandstorm. I told you I knew magic, didn't I? The sandstorm didn't hurt any of us, but it sufficiently blinded the girls to the point where I could duck away, hiding behind some nearby bleachers before the storm ended.

I risked a glance out of my hiding spot at them. They were covered in a fine layer of sand, which almost made me chuckle a bit. Wynne spat some sand out of her mouth.

"What in Hades was that!?" she exclaimed, her eyes scanning angrily for me. I ducked back down behind the bleachers, hoping she hadn't seen me.

"I don't know, I've never seen something like that…" Saria's voice said, "Who do you think his parent could be?"

That was confusing. Surely if they were hunting me, they would know about my father. And perhaps they weren't expecting sand magic, but there was no way they had never seen it before. That combined with their confusion about my wand started me thinking, but before I could reach a conclusion, a new voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Ha, well ain't this nice. Here we were tracking down one filthy half blood, and suddenly two more show up. It's our lucky day, ain't it?" A couple voices guffawed in agreement, and I recognized the voices of some of the football team's top players. The guys basically ruled the school. I had no idea what the first one meant by "half blood," though.

I dared a peek over the bleachers again, and saw the three jocks, all wearing their jerseys underneath their letterman jackets. They were spread out, grinning with an almost feral expression. Wynne had her bow drawn, but instead of a normal arrow, there was a beam of silver light nocked on her string, the tip wavering between the boys. Saria had pulled a leaf-bladed falcata from somewhere, but blade trembled, and I could tell she wasn't used to fighting.

Then something weird happened. Or rather, it would have been weird were I not used to dealing with monsters all the time. The boys heads flickered, as though a hologram were lifting, and suddenly they had dog heads. The one who had spoken first had a rottweiler's head, one was a doberman, and the last-poor guy-was stuck with a chihuahua.

"Kunokephali," Wynne hissed. The word was strange to my ears, but the rott just let out a barking laugh.

"Smart little demigod… Not like that will help you." My mind was reeling. Demigod? Did they mean someone who was half god? No, that's impossible, gods didn't have children with mortals. Perhaps they were using a strange term for godlings. That was the only explanation I could comprehend.

Suddenly everyone sprang into action at once. Wynne loosed her arrow of light at the rott, who dodged it as he ran towards her. The doberman also headed for Wynne, while the chihuahua headed for Saria, who yelped and almost dropped her blade. As the two dog-men teamed up against Wynne, she turned her bow back into a key and drew two other keys in the blink of an eye, and they turned into hunting blades. She was obviously skilled with the blades, but it was two against one, and while she was distracted by the doberman, the rott landed a bite on her shoulder, hanging on while Wynne ineffectively tried to slash at him. Saria was barely holding her own against the chihuahua, and it looked like he was toying with her.

I had a decision to make. I could slip away during this distraction, make an easy get away. I could draw on Set and blast all five of them to pieces. Or I could give these two girls the benefit of the doubt and help them against these jocks.

I stepped out from behind the bleachers, drawing a small length of wood which quickly expanded into my staff, six feet of unadorned black wood. I pointed it at the doberman and yelled, "Hey, kibble-breath!" He looked up, and that's when red lightning lanced from my staff, hitting him in the chest and throwing him against the wall of the school, where he dissolved into sand. The rott must have loosened his grip in surprise, because Wynne managed to get free of his jaws. She swung around and slashed across his chest with her knives, causing him to let out a yelp of pain and back away cautiously. The chihuahua looked at Wynne and me, beginning to shake some, and so didn't notice when Saria darted forward, jabbing her blade into his stomach. He, too, dissolved into sand. The three of us surrounded the remaining foe, our weapons at the ready. He tried to dart away, but I gestured with my wand, and the ground beneath him turned to quicksand. He sunk up to his furry neck in a matter of moments.

I looked at the two girls. Saria was staring at me in awe, but Wynne looked less impressed. Grumpy, even. "So, I take it you girls aren't actually from Per Ankh. I don't know what you want with me, but we can talk after we see why these mutts were after you."

"They weren't after us," Wynne grumbled, "They were after you. We just happened to get in the way. This is what I was warning you about."

I was about to say something, but I was interrupted by someone slowly clapping. Saria, Wynne, and I gripped our weapons tighter as we realized it was another football player. I recognized him as the quarterback, Dameon Quaker. He grinned at us like we were some sort of act. As he moved forward, we backed up cautiously. He came to where the rott was stuck in the earth, looking down at him and clicking his tongue in a disappointed noise.

"Good help is so hard to find these days, don't you think?" he said. He rested one foot lightly on his teammate's head, who then howled in pain right before he exploded into sand. Dameon looked back up to us.

"Looks like I'll just have to deal with you myself."


	3. Chapter 3: Saria, the Human Glow Stick

Wynne cursed in some strange language. Was that... Greek? She quickly drew her bow, but she couldn't get the arrow off before Dameon closed the distance. He tried to snatch at her, but she managed to jerk backwards away from his hand.

For some reason I didn't fully understand, I stepped between her and Dameon. I didn't have much time to cast a spell, so I went with something basic. My staff heated to become white-hot, although it didn't burn my hand, and I swung it towards the quarterback. He didn't flinch as his hand snapped up to grab the super-heated wood like it were nothing. I felt some sort of strange energy pulse into my staff, and I barely had time to let go before it exploded like a frag grenade. I tried to throw up a shield with my wand to block the shrapnel, but I felt a searing pain in a half-dozen different spots in my chest and gut.

"You idiot," Wynne grumbled as I felt to one knee in pain. She shot an arrow at Dameon, and the silver light burned into his shoulder. It really saved my hide, because he'd been about to finish me off, but the pain caused him to stumble. I tried to flash Wynne an appreciative smile, but I fear it came out as more of a grimace. I was really wishing I'd studied healing magic more.

So there I was minus one staff and plus six wounds. That equation was not looking great for me, even with the addition of the two girls. Wynne could definitely hold her own, but Saria looked totally green around the gills. I'll admit, the smell of seared flesh from the light arrow wound on Dameon wasn't helping my stomach, either.

Dameon had the nerve to chuckle. "You fight well... But in the end, you're an inferior species. You were always meant to die at the hands of my kind. It would be easier if you just accepted your lot." He started walking towards us again, and I glanced back at the girls helplessly.

Saria looked like she was about to either cry or scream with rage. I could feel power coming off of her in ever-increasing waves, and then she started to glow. The glow started with her bones, which created a strange x-ray effect, but soon her whole body was shining. Even Dameon looked taken aback. I started to struggle to my feet, but Wynne tackled me, pushing me to the ground.

"Bury your face in the ground, but get ready to run," she whispered harshly. Something about her tone made me realize it'd be stupid to argue, so I did as she said.

A moment later, I heard Saria shout wordlessly, and it felt like the sun had just gotten ten times hotter on my back, and even with my eyes screwed shut and my face in the ground, my vision still burned red. There was a cry of pain from Dameon, then Wynne was tugging at me.

"Come on, we've got to go before he recovers."

I glanced over at Dameon. He was on his knees, clutching his face. He tried to lurch forward, swinging a hand in our direction, but he quickly stumbled and fell. I couldn't do much without a staff, but I waved my wand and a pile of sand materialized on top of him, pinning him down. I figured he could probably break free pretty easily, so I ran.

I led the two girls away from the school to a copse of trees roughly a mile away. The three of us collapsed to the ground, Wynne and I wincing in pain at our injuries. I started plucking out three inch long splinters of wood from my skin, remnants of my poor staff.

Saria got out a roll of ace bandages, but at the sight of Wynne's bloody shoulder, she looked like she was about to faint. Wynne grabbed the bandages and started wrapping her shoulder clumsily with one hand, giving her companion an exasperated look. The blonde flushed with relief and embarrassment.

Meanwhile, I took out a flask from my jacket pocket. The girls gave me an odd look as I threw it back, but the healing potion worked its magic, the wounds in my chest healing until they were mere scars.

"Oh! Nectar!" Saria exclaimed. I had no idea what she meant, but she took out a small phial of golden liquid an handed it to Wynne, who took a few drops. The look of pain eased on her face, so I figured nectar must be some sort of healing potion. Her expression was replaced with one of aggravation as she looked at me.

"You know, if you had just come with us, that wouldn't have happened."

"Yeah, sure, a girl pulls out a bow and just expects me to run off with her to gods-know-where. Well sorry if I'm a little cautious, I'm sure."

"Ugh, whatever. At least you finally came to your senses."

"I may or may not be starting to regret that. At least Dameon knew how to laugh."

"Yeah, well, in case you didn't notice, you were on his hit list, too!"

"Which makes absolutely no sense, because you guys obviously aren't magicians, and so I have no idea what either of you would want with me!"

"What I want to know is how you summoned that sandstorm... You're not in league with Gaea, are you?"

I stared at her like she was crazy. Which, as far as I was concerned, she was. Gaea... that was a Greek goddess. Or at least, a Greek entity. Wheels were turning in my head. I knew that the gods the Ancient Egyptians had worshiped were real. The civilization that built the pyramids was too smart to worship fake deities. But perhaps they weren't the only gods around... A number of things started falling into place. These girls had strange powers that were definitely not Egyptian in nature. Demigods, Dameon had called them. Half bloods. Egyptian gods didn't have children with mortals, but the Greek myths were full of that sort of thing.

"My gods..." I murmured, "You're Greek, aren't you? Greek demigods." Wynne seemed surprised at the sudden end to our shouting match, but Saria seemed relieved.

"Well yeah, what was your first clue?" Wynne growled, but I was too in shock to respond. My mind was reeling with my epiphany. I gave myself ten seconds to process, and then I snapped back to dealing with the situation at hand. I could sort out the implications of two sets of gods later.

"So what do a couple of pretty demigods, some dog-headed jocks, and whatever the hell Dameon was want with little old me?"

Saria blushed at the appellation of "pretty demigod," but Wynne was all business. Somehow, I knew what her answer was going to be before she said it "Isn't it obvious? You're a demigod, too."

 _Set, bud? Any comment on these shocking developments?_ To my complete lack of surprise, my godly tag-along was silent. Typical.

"So, um... how do you know, exactly? I mean, I hope you weren't basing it on my spells, because that's something any magician could do." There was that look from the girls again, like I was crazy. It was, in fact, the same look I had been giving them moments ago.

"Do you mind telling us why you keep talking about magicians? The only magic-users I know are children of Hecate, or her servants, and there aren't a lot of either category." Wynne's voice was neutral, like she still suspected me of teaming up with Gaea. It was probably a good thing she didn't know the god of evil rented space in my head.

"Well, I don't know about this 'Hecate" chick, but I know plenty of magicians. Of course, I usually run away from them, but that's a different story. The art of magic has been passed down for millennia. The gift was given to humans by Thoth, god of knowledge and magic. He founded Per Ankh... the House of Life, that is."

A look of confusion crossed Wynne's face. "I've never heard of Thoth..."

"Well, I wouldn't expect you to. You're Greek. He's an Egyptian god." The look on both of their faces was totally worth revealing the secrets about magic to the uninitiated. Of course, if my dad found out, he'd probably flay me, but that was a problem for another day.

"You seriously expect us to believe that the Egyptian gods are real?..." Wynne said, but I could see the gears turning in her head.

"You expect me to believe in Greek gods, don't you? Why should the Greek gods exist, but not the Egyptian ones? Egypt was around first too. But don't take my word for it let me demonstrate."

I pointed at a nearby tree with two fingers, like a pretend gun, except my thumb was held parallel to my fingers. What I was attempting was hard to do for magicians with decades more experience than I had, so I tapped into some of Set's power. To be able to follow the Path of the Gods, you had to utilize sympathetic magic, making connections between things. In other words, you had to empathize with your god. I focused on my desire to impress, knowing that was definitely a quality I shared with the guy who made the Sahara desert.

" _Ha-Di!_ " The hieroglyphs for "break" glowed purple in front of my fingers, and suddenly the tree shattered into sawdust. Guess I channeled Set's power a bit too well. The girls were staring at me.

"Oh... my... gods..." Saria said. I had to laugh at her wide-eyed expression.

"Alright, so Egyptian magic is a thing. Great. Now maybe we should get back to camp before we figure out that maybe we _should_ be Christians after all," Wynne said testily. I really didn't know what her problem was.

"Woah, camp? What camp?" I asked.

"Camp Half Blood!" Saria said, pointing to her rather garish orange shirt, "It's where demigods go to be trained! We get to learn canoing, basket-weaving, all sorts of fun stuff!"

"Plus sword fighting, monster slaying, archery. You know, actually useful stuff." Wynne's words seemed to put a a bit of a damper on Saria's mood.

"Uh, yeah... that stuff too, I guess." Her sunny disposition quickly reasserted itself. "Oh my gosh, Wynne! Did you see me today? I totally kicked that chihuahua's butt!"

"It was a kunokephali. And..." It looked like she was about to tell Saria that she had gotten lucky, but thought better of it. "Yes, I saw. Good job, Saria." The blonde beamed at the praise.

"So are you coming to camp or not? I can't force you, but I'd be pretty pissed if we risked our lives for you for nothing. Oh, and I suppose it'd be safer for you there, too," Wynne grumbled looking at me again. I shrugged.

"I guess I'm in. Better than sticking around here, really. Especially with an angry quarterback on the loose. So... how do we get there?"

"I can summon the Gray Sisters' Taxi."

"Gods, no!" Saria exclaimed, "Not that again. They're horrible and disgusting! Not to mention the ride is so bumpy..." I got the feeling I didn't want to ask.

"Well, is the Camp on a river?" I asked. Wynne gave me an odd look, but nodded. With that, I reached into the Duat.

As I mentioned before, the Duat is essentially an infinite number of layers beneath our world. A skilled magician can place objects into the uppermost layer of the Duat to be retrieved later. I had a number of supplies stored there, most importantly my magician's bag. It carried a most of my important supplies that I didn't need on an immediate basis.

Saria gasped as my hand entered the Duat, and even Wynne raised an eyebrow. My hand found the strap of the bag and I pulled it free and started rustling around in it, looking for what I wanted.

"That was amazing! How did you do that?" Saria said. I gave her the short explanation as I found what I was looking for. I pulled a scroll free.

"What are you planning on doing, boring us with a story until we get there?" Wynne asked sarcastically. I simply shook my head and walked to the nearby stream running through the small grove in which we stood.

"Magic, at its most basic, is taking words and making them a reality. A few magicians learn to cast some spells simply by uttering the Divine Word for the desired effect, and often tapping into the energy of a wand or a staff makes the words unnecessary. But the best magic is produced by a scroll, words written down."

I stared down at the scroll. It was one my father had given me, something to only be used in emergencies. I figured that being chased by a homicidal football player who could make things explode qualified. I unfurled the papyrus and started reading. Reading a spell off of a scroll is a difficult thing to do. Imagine if you will trying to read something written backwards without a mirror, and the words keep shifting on you, and occasionally slip into a different language,but you know that if you make one misstep, one stutter, you'll probably blow up. Yeah, that's what reading a magic scroll is like.

I managed to get through the incantation without blowing up. For a moment, Wynne scoffed and gave me an irritated glance. Then, mist thickened upriver, and out of it sailed a reed boat. It was the kind of craft Ancient Egyptians used on the Nile, and although it didn't look very sturdy, I knew it'd hold our weight. I stepped on, fishing out a small box from my bag, an reaching into the Duat to grab the black duster I kept in there.

As the girls tentatively tested their weight on the craft, I took out a wax figurine without arms from the box. It was a shabti, a statue given life to serve magicians, and a crucial part of my next spell. I muttered the incantation and smashed the shabti into my coat. The duster then stood up of its own volition and hobbled to man-well, coat-the tiller.

"So... we're going to sail to camp. On a boat that doesn't even have any means of propulsion. Well, this is exactly how I wanted to spend my summer."

"Don't worry about propulsion. Magic, remember? And as for the distance to camp... well, all rivers are connected in a sense. We'll just be taking a short-cut through the Duat. Coat, take us to Camp Half Blood, please."

With not even a hint of a lurch, we were off, sailing downriver. Mist thickened around the boat until we couldn't see the shores of the stream. Saria looked around warily, and even Wynne seemed slightly unnerved. There was a tingling in my gut like the feeling you get when you're on a roller coaster and it starts to go down a big hill. It lasted for the whole trip, which was thankfully short.

We emerged from the Duat to the bright light of mid-morning sun. Laid out before us was an almost idyllic scene with strawberry fields, a large farm house, cabins in the distance next to a glittering lake. We had arrived.


	4. Chapter 4: I Meet Some Pretty Ponies

Saria clutched her stomach. "Okay, that wasn't as bad as the taxi, but I don't think I like travelling by 'do-it' very much, either."

"It's Duat," I said with a chuckle. I then returned my attention to the scene before me. At first it had seemed like a normal camp, but then I noticed some odd things. First of all was the Greek architecture; there was what seemed like a stadium of sorts just beyond the strawberry fields, and the two largest cabins in the distance almost looked like banks with their Acropolis-style structure. Beyond the lake was a climbing wall, but there seemed to be a glow like that of lava coming from it. Then I noticed a couple of winged shapes wheeling through the air, too large to be birds. As they drew closer, I realized they were horses-pegasi, if I remembered my Greek mythology right.

The pegasi kept coming closer, and I realized there was a rider on each one, two more teenagers both wearing the same orange shirts as Saria and Wynne. One was a short boy maybe 18 or 19 years old with sharp features and a mischievous look about him. The other was a slim, willowy girl almost as tall as Saria, wearing a tie-dye bandanna in her brown hair. They were obviously headed in our direction.

Acting on instinct, I touched my wand to the boat and muttered a spell. The reed craft dissolved into nothing, and suddenly the two girls and I were taking a bath. I grabbed my duster as it floated by, now lifeless, and shrugged at Wynne as she started cussing me out.

The pegasi landed alongside the river moments later. The girl dismounted to help Wynne and Saria out of the water, but the boy just laughed.

"Have a nice bath, Wynne?" he said.

"Shut up, Cecil," Wynne snapped back as she shook out her hair.

"What happened?" the girl with the bandanna asked, helping Saria to her feet. "We thought you guys were in a boat."

"It, ah... it sunk," I said, standing up. The two campers focused on me for the first time. Cecil jumped off his pegasus to offer his hand.

"So you're the new camper! Put 'er there, bud." Perhaps I should have paid more attention to my initial instinct that this guy was a trouble-maker, but I shook his hand. I jumped as the buzzer he had been hiding connected with my skin. Cecil laughed as I yanked my hand back. I was tempted to give him a taste of his own medicine with some lightning magic, but my instincts were telling me that I shouldn't be using magic around these demigods.

"Ignore Cecil, he's an incorrigible prankster," the other camper said, "I guess that's why they made him head counselor for the Hermes cabin. I'm Courtney, by the way, daughter of Iris. You must have been claimed by now, you're obviously older than thirteen." I shrugged, looking over at Wynne.

"Not that we know of," Wynne said, then turned to me. "Claiming is how we determine which of the gods is your parent, and that determines what cabin you're sorted into. According to a pact made with the gods by a hero years ago, gods are supposed to claim their children by the time they turn thirteen. I don't know why your godly parent didn't follow the pact, or why they let you live on your own until you were fifteen. Really, I'm surprised monsters haven't been knocking down your door. The older a demigod gets, the more likely they are to attract monsters."

"Well, I guess I just got lucky," I said with another shrug.

"Ooh! maybe you're a son of Tyche! She's the goddess of luck. Oh, is your mortal parent your father or your mother?" Saria said in a single breath. That girl could really talk sometimes.

"My dad, so I suppose Tyche's a possibility."

"Well, maybe our activities director Chiron will know why you haven't been claimed yet. He'll want to see you anyway," Courtney said. The name Chiron rung a bell, but I couldn't quite place it. Something out of Greek mythology, I was sure, but I didn't know Greek myths as well as I did Egyptian.

"Mind if we dry off, first?" Wynne griped, "A dip in the river wasn't part of the plan."

"I'll take care of that," Courtney said. She waved her hand in the air, and suddenly there was a rainbow in front of her. Through the colors, like a mirage, was someone's face. "Hey Ryan, could you bring three towels to the Big House? I'm bringing Wynne, Saria, and the new camper there, they had a little spill in the river." Ryan nodded, and Courtney swiped her hand through the image, dispelling the rainbow.

"By the way, new kid, what's your name?" she asked me.

"AJ," I said shaking my head to clear it of my astonishment.

"Nice to meet you, AJ. Let's get to the Big House."

The Big House turned out to be the four-story farm house I had seen from the river. Saria, Wynne, and I sat on the large wrap-around porch, drying out our hair with the towels Ryan had brought us before he and Cecil left to take the pegasi back to the stables. Courtney had gone to look for Chiron, leaving the three of us alone sitting in wicker chairs.

"So what happened with the boat back there?" Wynne asked, giving me a death glare.

"I don't know, I get the feeling that the campers shouldn't see my magic. Something tells me the results would be... bad."

Wynne shrugged, but didn't argue with me. Perhaps she was feeling the same uneasiness that I was, like I didn't quite belong here. I couldn't explain it, but my skin was crawling. There was no way a demigod and a magician were supposed to be one in the same.

I looked up when the sound of hooves came from around to corner of the house. I thought that it might be another pegasus, but what rounded the corner was something I hadn't expected to see. From the waist down, he was a pure white stallion with four powerful legs and a tail I was pretty sure any girl would love to brush. But from the waist up... well, he was an athletic man, with curly hair and a beard. He had a quiver and bow strapped across his back. All in all, he was about seven feet tall. It was then that my memory clicked into place. Chiron the centaur, trainer of heroes.

I stood and bowed to him. "It is an honor to meet you, Chiron Hero-Maker."

He seemed surprised, but returned the bow, bending at the waist where his human half met horse. "And I you, Ajax Faust. It seems as though you have adjusted well already, that is good." Then he noticed my ivory wand, which I had placed on the end table near my chair. His eyes flashed as he looked back to me. I got the feeling he knew exactly what I was. "You... you should not be here. Wynne, Saria, please leave us."

"Chiron, they have already seen my magic, and they know that the Egyptian gods are real. What I find interesting is that you obviously already knew that, and yet you have not told your campers about it."

"I feel like you know, or at least suspect my reasoning. If the Egyptians and the Greeks knew about each other, it would only serve the forces of Chaos," he explained.

 _Sounds like a fun time to me,_ Set said.

 _Oh, now you're back,_ I grumbled mentally.

 _Well, things have gotten interesting. Who knew that we weren't the only gods around. I wonder if we'll get to meet any._

 _Who cares? They can't possibly be as annoying as you. Now shut up._

Chiron's eyes looked they were analyzing me carefully, as though he had been aware of the exchange between Set and me. He continued, "Perhaps it would be best if you were not to display your magic in front of the other campers. As such, I would ask that you hide your wand and avail yourself of more common weaponry."

I remembered something that my father had made me store in the Duat years ago. I took my wand and put it in my storage space in the Duat. Then, my hand brushed the handle of what I was looking for. I grasped it and drew it out, revealing a blade of bronze with a single edge that curved forwards. A _kopis_. Wynne actually gasped.

"That's Celestial Bronze... Where did you get that?"

"My father gave it to me on my thirteenth birthday, said I might need it some day. I guess... maybe he knew I was a demigod? I don't know why he wouldn't tell me, though." I paused. "No, that's a lie, he kept plenty of things from me. I shouldn't be surprised about this one." I suppose there was a little bitterness in my voice. To be fair, I hadn't had the best childhood being home schooled by my father. He may have taught me a lot, but he was a harsh instructor. I tried not to dwell on the past, but I could help slipping into old memories.

* * *

"Again!" my father's voice barked at me. It may have been my birthday, but that didn't mean I was allowed to slack off.

I sighed, gathering the energy within myself and channeling it outward through my staff. Red lightning shot along its length and blasted just right of the target my father had made. He sighed in frustration as I tried to fight the weariness casting the spell had caused me.

"No, no, _no!_ You must learn to channel the energy of your god, not use up your own life force. If you let Set help you, you'd actually be able to hit the target!"

"Dad, I-"

"Again!"

"But-"

"I said again!" he roared, pointing his staff at me. I shrank back. "Perhaps you need a more pressing motivation... let's see how you handle _this!_ " With that, he threw down his staff.

Now to most people, throwing down your weapon might seem like a sign of surrender, but when a magician does it, it's never good. My father's staff transformed into a ram bigger than I was with glowing red eyes and massive curling horns. It snorted, pawing the ground with one cloven hoof as it lowered its head at me. A lump formed in my throat.

It charged, and I just barely managed to evade it by leaping to one side. It whirled, focusing on me again. Suddenly my fear turned to hatred of my father. I heard a chuckle in my mind. In that moment, I felt closer with Set than I ever had before. The god knew plenty about hating those with authority over him.

With a gesture, I summoned a gust of wind that threw the ram backwards against the wall where the target had been painted. A growl formed deep in my throat, and suddenly the air around me was swirling with sand. The sandstorm kept the ram pushed down, and my father bent under the wind, but I stood tall. I leveled my staff towards the ram, and lightning shot out, this time finding its mark easily. The ram blew apart, turning back into a staff that was now shattered.

I panted heavily, letting the storm fade as my anger subsided. My father looked at me as though I had actually accomplished something worthwhile for once. He came over and clapped me on the back.

"I suppose now it's time for your birthday present..."

* * *

I held the kopis he had then given me, my hand shaking slightly. He had known I was a demigod. He had to have. Saria and Chiron were giving me sympathetic looks, and even Wynne managed to look as though my existence weren't an affront to her.

I firmed my grip. "Look, what happened in the past doesn't matter, right? Now is someone going to give me a tour of this camp or what?" I was so frustrated that the blade of my kopis crackled with electricity, soon discharging a blast that took out one of the beams of the porch. Chiron and the two girls stared at me, mouths agape.

"Um, sorry..." I started, and then I realized that they weren't looking at me because of the lightning. I noticed I was glowing green, and then I looked up and saw what looked like a glowing green holograph depicting two crossed torches. When I looked back down, Chiron was bowing, and Wynne and Saria had kneeled.

"Hail Ajax," Chiron said, "Son of Hecate, goddess of magic, and Lady of the Mist."


End file.
